Allegiance

Family

Shaggydog was one of six direwolf pups found by the children of House Stark. Shaggydog is adopted and raised by Rickon Stark, the youngest of the five Stark children. Shaggydog is distinguished from the rest of his siblings by his black fur.

Contents

Biography

Shaggydog was adopted as a pup with the rest of the Stark direwolves when Eddard Stark and his entourage came upon the pups and their deceased mother. At the request of Jon Snow, the pups were spared a quick death and each Stark child adopted one as their own. Rickon names his direwolf Shaggydog.[1]

Shaggydog leaps out at Bran and Osha in the Stark family crypt, frightening them and causing them to fall over. It is said that Shaggydog should be tied up, but he didn't like it.[2]

When Theon Greyjoycaptures Winterfell, Shaggydog and Summer flee with Osha, Bran, Rickon, and Hodor before they fall back to the castle and hide out in the crypt.[3] Shaggydog and Summer reunite with the boys and their companions after the castle is sacked and put to the torch, and accompany them as they travel north to find sanctuary with their bastard half-brother Jon Snow at the Wall.[4]

Shaggydog continues north with Rickon, Osha, Bran, Hodor, and Summer. The group is later joined by Jojen Reed and his sister, Meera.[5] They stop to rest at a small farm, not realizing there is a group of wildlings nearby. When a thunderstorm startles Hodor and nearly causes him to give up the group's location to the wildlings, Bran wargs into Summer who is joined by Shaggydog in killing some of the wildlings. Realizing the dangers they face as they continue north, Bran decides to send Rickon away with Osha and Shaggydog to the protection of House Umber in order to keep Rickon safe. The three leave in the middle of the night towards Last Hearth. It is around this time, however, that the Red Wedding takes place and Shaggydog's brother Grey Wind is killed along with Robb, Catelyn, Talisa, and the bulk of the Stark army.[6]

Shaggydog is slain by the Umbers, and his head is presented to Ramsay Bolton, along with the live prisoners Osha and Rickon. This is part of Smalljon Umber's gift to display his willingness to work with House Bolton, and as proof of Rickon's identity.[7] Ramsay later claims in a letter to Jon Snow that he is using Shaggydog's fur as a rug.[8] Before the Battle of the Bastards, Smalljon throws Shaggydog's head to Sansa and Jon, confirming that he does indeed have Rickon prisoner.[9]

Family tree

In the books

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Shaggydog is the fiercest and least-disciplined of the six wolves, reflecting Rickon's willful nature. Bran thinks the wolf's name is stupid, but this might be expected as Rickon was only three years old when he named him, and only six in the TV series. "Shaggy" soon becomes a preferred name. He is described as black, with bright green eyes.

Shaggydog is partially responsible for the fall of Winterfell: he and Summer were chained and confined to the godswood by Ser Rodrik, because he bit one of Walder Frey's grandsons. Had the direwolves been free, perhaps they could have alerted the guards in time. At the end of A Clash of Kings, Shaggydog accompanies Rickon and Osha after they part company with Bran, Hodor, Jojen and Meera Reed. Maester Luwin advises Osha to travel to either the White Harbor or Last Hearth, both inhabited by loyal bannermen of the Starks.

It is revealed in A Dance of Dragons that Shaggydog, Rickon, and Osha have traveled to the Isle of Skagos in the north. Wex, the only survivor of the ironborn who occupied Winterfell, followed them and then went to the White Harbor and told Lord Wyman Manderly. Lord Manderly, one of the Starks' loyal bannermen, seeking to avenge his son Wendel, offers to pledge his allegiance to KingStannis Baratheon if Davos Seaworth smuggles Rickon to him. Wyman plans to sever his alliance with the Boltons and to install Rickon as the new Lord of Winterfell. Shaggydog is crucial to Wyman's plan since the direwolf would provide irrevocable proof of Rickon's identity should the Boltons and their Frey allies contest his claim. It is unknown if they are still alive.

Behind The Scenes

In an interview with the Huffington Post entertainment editor Bill Bradley, Rickon's actor Art Parkinson mentioned that a giant husky was used to portray Shaggydog in the television series. Parkinson recounted that the dogs were also brought to his home so that they could bond with him and the other actors. Unlike fellow star Sophie Turner, Parkinson's mother Movania Parkinson did not allow him to adopt his husky co-star because she was concerned that it would unnerve their two other dogs. In response to initial rumors that Smalljon Umber had presented another dog's head in order to fake loyalty to the Boltons, Parkinson confirmed in that interview that Shaggydog did indeed die a true death in the TV series.[10]